FAQ
Are the Coaches at Oodles Learning qualified to conduct the onSponge +hinkingMath programmes?
Yes. All Coaches at Oodles Learning have been assessed and qualified by onSponge before they are able to start teaching at Oodles Learning. Qualified Coaches will be trained in the +hinkingMath™ strategies and be selected to participate in the programme initiatives driven by onSponge directly.
What are Certified Partners for the PaceUp™ or +hinkingMath™ Programme?
Oodles Learning centres are the only Certified Partners for all onSponge PaceUp™ and +hinkingMath™ programmes and are qualified and licensed to conduct these programmes in Singapore.
What are the credentials of the Coaches?
All Coaches engaged by Oodles Learning possess minimally a diploma if not a degree, with at least 3 years of teaching experience for the relevant levels. They are also trained in the +hinkingMath™ and/or PaceUp™ strategies and are required to fulfill the following requirements:
• Take a yearly written test assessment.
• Be observed during their lesson time at least twice a year either via the online lesson platforms or physical classes engagements.
• Facilitate PaceUp™ and/or +hinkingMath™ workshops.
Senior Tutors will also:
• Serve as the master trainer at any of the PaceUp™ and +hinkingMath™ workshops.
• Develop the PaceUp™ and +hinkingMath™ materials alongside the onSponge development team.
• Serve as trainers to other teachers, educators and parents.
Are the students in each class of similar learning abilities?
While every attempt is made to place students of similar abilities into a class, this may not be feasible all the time. The class is therefore kept intentionally small to allow the Coach to better facilitate student’s learning through some level of personalised attention. If required, the Coach will moderate the pace of learning by providing the higher abilities students with stretch or non-routine questions to increase their exposure to such question types. Other students may be provided with rudimentary exercises to strengthen their foundation and reinforce understanding.
How many students are there in a physical Oodles Learning class?
Maximum number of students per class is 10.
Will the Coach provide extra time to coach on sums not provided from the Tuition class that my child is unable to solve?
The Coach is more than willing to assist appropriately. As time is limited during the Tuition class, we advise you to arrange with the Centre Manager for a suitable time with Coach to run through the additional questions your child may have. However, please note that this is a value-added service provided by Oodles Learning and is strictly non-obligatory on the part of the centre.
Does the Coach cover the Math Exam Paper 1 question types for the +hinkingMath™ programme?
The Coach focuses on solving problem sums typical of Math Exam Paper 2 questions. The arithmetic and rudimentary concepts will be addressed appropriately via the problem sum solution steps. Occasionally, homework assignments on questions typical of Paper 1 will be provided by the Coach to assess the student’s area of weaknesses. Parents are strongly advised to help strengthen the student’s performance in Paper 1 by providing the child with past year exam papers to practise at home within the 1-hour time (upper primary) frame on a weekly basis.
Is homework assigned?
Class practice worksheets will be provided during lesson and this is further supported with additional homework questions or materials to further reinforce learning and understanding. Your child is expected to complete the homework provided on time as this will aid in the performance of the child and ensure he paces along with his peers in class.
Is the +hinkingMath™ curriculum in line with the school’s?
We follow the school syllabus and incorporate the +hinkingMath™ strategies into our curriculum.
May I reproduce the materials provided by the Coach?
These materials are copyright of onSponge Pte Ltd. Any external resources provided by the centre are proprietary in nature as well. No further reproduction and distribution of material are permitted without the written permission of the respective copyright owners. Wilful copyright infringement will be referred to under the Copyright Act (Cap. 63).
What materials are provided to the students?
All students will be provided worksheets based on their curriculum programme and these will serve as classroom practice materials, homework assignments and review papers. Students may also be required to purchase onSponge’s +hinkingMath™ books for further practices and this will be advised by the Coach accordingly.
Would I need to provide my child with assessments for practices in addition to the assignments given by the Coach?
The material provided by the Coach is based on a curriculum work plan designed to cover the key learning objectives essential for the student’s readiness for their examinations. Additional and appropriate assessment materials provided by yourself will certainly help given that more practices and increased exposures will help to enhance your child’s problem-solving skills.
Are the materials provided free-of-charge?
No. There is an annual Material Fee payable for worksheets used in class. This is a flat fee that is based on the prevailing rate. Material Fee is non-refundable and is payable upon commencement of the tuition class regardless of the time of registration. The Material Fee covers beyond just the cost of printing the materials but includes the resources needed to produce and maintain the material contents for relevancy. Oodles Learning reserves the right to request for additional material fees should there be an increase in the material production cost. Any other materials, including onSponge’s +hinkingMath™ books, are not part of the Material Fees and will be charged separately.
How are fee payments made?
Fee payment can be made via PayNow or bank wire-transfer.
Is the tuition fee collected in accordance to the month or the actual lessons conducted?
Tuition fee will be collected on a quarterly basis in the months of October, January, April, and July. These will cover the academic terms of November to January, February to April, May to July, and August to October respectively. The number of lessons will follow the lesson schedule as provided by the centre for that academic term.
What are the other charges I will need to pay apart from the lesson fees?
You will be required to place a $200 deposit which is refundable upon giving the Centre one (1) month written notice. The other charges include registration fees of $40 (one time and not refundable) and annual material fees of $50 for the +hinkingMath™ program or $80 for the PaceUp™ program (not refundable and not pro-rated).
Will there be any fees rebate for lessons missed?
There is no fees rebate for all lessons missed including taking leave during the school holidays.
Are there lessons during the MOE school holidays?
The onSponge curriculum is based on a 48 to 50-weeks lesson plan. The programme is both topical and strategy-based coupled with Review Papers. Therefore, our lessons continue to run during the designated MOE school holidays to complete the curriculum for the year. Should there be a change to our class schedule during the school holidays, you will be informed via Whatsapp, text message, or email.
How are the classes conducted?
The Coach will focus on problem sums solving techniques that are applicable to the examinations. Class typically commences with the teaching and explaining of the rationale behind each topic or strategy or concept that the Coach introduces to the students. This is supported by a show-and-teach of sample questions and solutions as well as thinking processes. The students will then be provided with classroom practices which the Coach will review appropriately with the students after their attempts on the sums by themselves.
How are the lessons conducted?
At the start of every lesson, the Coach will go through the previous week’s homework assignment before embarking on the week’s new lesson which may be topical or strategy-based. This is followed by the teaching of the next new topic/strategy then class assignment where the students put into practice what they have been taught. It is during this time that the Coach will walk about to observe the students’ work, highlight important considerations based on his observation and provide the required personal attention to aid those who need further clarification.
Is the tuition premise conducive for learning?
The tuition premise is designed to facilitate classroom learning, along with the necessary teaching aids. Children’s comfort is also taken into consideration with adequate lighting and ventilation. With the Covid-19 pandemic, our centres have been SG Clean certified with Safe Management Measures implemented (e.g. modified seating arrangements, check-in/out procedures, sanitisation of surfaces, etc.).
May I request for the past worksheets prior to my child joining the Centre?
Your child will only be provided the material from the point of joining the Centre. The past worksheets will not be provided.
May I request to stop attending the tuition lessons during the school holidays?
A typical academic year’s curriculum extends between 48 to 50 weeks. We strongly discourage students from missing their scheduled classes with us, especially during their school holidays. Classes run as usual during the school holidays and coverage forms a part of the academic year’s curriculum. It is therefore imperative that all students attend their class lessons throughout the year.
Parents that wish to allow their child to stop attending the lessons during the school holidays will have to take note of the following:
• The child would miss a part of the full year’s curriculum and no make-up lessons or refund will be given.
• With recruitment taking place throughout the year and given the limited places, students who wish to stop lessons during the school holidays may find their seats released to another incoming student and thus unable to return to the same class/time-slot.
What is the duration of a lesson?
Lesson time for P3 and P4 is 1.5 hour, P5 and P6 is 2 hours and S1 to S4 is 2 hours.
Will the Coach keep a close watch over my child’s behaviour in class?
The Coach will maintain classroom discipline with students expected to co-operate and comply with the general orderliness during lessons. However, students must bear personal responsibility for their own behaviour in class including care over their personal belongings and safety. Students are not encouraged to bring along expensive personal items to class or engage in activities that may lead to potential accidents. The Coach and the Oodles Learning centres do not accept liability or responsibility for any harm to a student resulting from accident nor the loss or damage of personal property of any kind while in the tuition premise.
Will there be any replacement lesson should the student be absent?
You are provided a schedule of the lessons upon commencement of your child’s lesson. Your child is strongly advised to attend all lessons to ensure minimal disruption in learning as there will be no replacement for lessons missed. Subject to availability of space and similar pacing of the class, you may be allowed to join another class. This is extended, strictly subject to the above conditions, as a goodwill gesture and the centre is not obliged to provide for such an arrangement for students who intentionally missed their class.
Will there be lesson when the day of the lesson falls on a public holiday?
Apart from gazette public holidays, lessons will carry on as scheduled, including school holidays unless rescheduled or cancelled by the Coach or the Oodles Learning centres, upon which an alternative class time-slot may be notified to you.
How will the students’ progress and performance be assessed?
Benchmark Assessments or Review Worksheets will be given to the student at least twice every term to gauge the student’s progress and also to prepare the student for the school’s quarterly tests and/or exams.
Is my child’s performance guaranteed?
We do not guarantee performance but offer the core requirements to assist a child to release his potential. The Coach has a track record for helping children to attain their desired score along with the merits of the PaceUp™ and +hinkingMath™ programmes where materials provided are specially developed to facilitate learning in preparation for their final year examinations, such as the O-Level and PSLE respectively. Generally, about 90% of our students will improve by at least 1 grade depending on their entry score as our student base is made up of a wide-span of abilities from borderline to A. The performance of a child is also dependent on many factors including the child’s motivation, discipline in completion of work provided, attentiveness in class and learning attitude. Your support and encouragement at home will certainly help to enhance the child’s learning and performance in the centre.
May I transfer my child to another Centre?
Yes, and the 1-month written notice for withdrawal will still apply. In addition, you will be required to pay a $40 administrative fee for the transfer.
What is the procedure for withdrawal?
You will need to complete the Withdrawal Form which has to be obtained from the Oodles Learning centre that your child is enrolled in. The deposit collected at the point of registration will only be refundable upon:
(a) payment of any outstanding tuition fees; and
(b) fulfilment of one (1) month’s notice prior to withdrawal.
The date of notification for withdrawal will take effect from the date of submission of the Withdrawal Form to the centre. All lessons are to be paid and attended during the month of notice served.
